Taunton man charged with assault to murder in alleged stabbing

Max Charles Jr., 51, of 9 Taunton Green, is charged with assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and witness intimidation for allegedly threatening to kill the victim if he spoke to police.

TAUNTON — A Taunton man who police allege stabbed a homeless man over a $25 drug debt last week is being held without bail after a dangerousness hearing in district court.

Max Charles Jr., 51, of 9 Taunton Green, is charged with assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and witness intimidation for allegedly threatening to kill the victim if he spoke to police.

He'll be brought back into Taunton District Court for a status hearing on Feb. 21.

A woman who police said has been living with Charles at his second-floor apartment was also arrested.

Dena Marie Connolly, 29, was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon, a double-edged boot knife, and resisting arrest, the latter for allegedly trying to unlock the door of a police car after she was arrested on two active warrants.

At 6:15 p.m., officers responded to an apartment house at 73 Broadway, where a tenant reported that his friend had been stabbed downtown by an individual with the street name Dread, after the three of them smoked crack cocaine inside the Taunton Green apartment.

Police said local law enforcement is familiar with Charles. They said he's called Dread because of his long dreadlocks.

The victim's friend told police the two of them ran back to the Broadway apartment house where they argued about whether to call police or an ambulance. His friend, who was bleeding from the head and chest, reportedly didn't want to call 911 because he feared retaliation from Charles.

Police detectives located the 45-year-old victim, who refused medical attention despite cuts to his chest and his head between his left temple and ear. By then they said he was willing to identify his attacker.

Police said when they first went to 9 Taunton Green to speak with Charles they noticed drops of blood in the stairwell and second-floor landing in front of the apartment in addition to a strong smell of bleach.

They said that downtown building is well-known for its drug activity. Several months earlier it was the scene of a assault in which a man was thrown down the stairs and severely injured.

A 61-year-old man living in another second-floor apartment in the building was arrested last week for possession to distribute crack cocaine. That same day, cops arrested another tenant on three warrants for drug and larceny charges.

Police said that, before the stabbing victim was located, they noticed the building's exterior door was unlocked, a piece of plywood was covering a broken-out window and the door leading to the common area was unlocked.

After loudly knocking on the apartment door and getting no response, the officers were advised by their patrol supervisor to force their way in to look for the victim.

Page 2 of 2 - They kicked in the door, police said, and saw Connolly in the bedroom, where they retrieved a double-edged boot knife from a night stand. They also arrested and handcuffed Charles inside the same room.

Connolly allegedly admitted that the weapon belonged to her.

Police said the smell of bleach was strong. They also said they found bloodied clothing, rags, tissues and a bottle of Clorox bathroom cleanser.

They said Charles denied knowing the victim and claimed he had nothing to do with any stabbing, despite police finding an EBT card on the bathroom dresser bearing the victim's name.

Connolly was charged with resisting arrest after an officer left her in the back of his cruiser handcuffed and went back upstairs to assist his partner with Charles. When Charles was escorted downstairs in handcuffs, a driver shouted that another woman had helped Connolly get out of the car.

Police said they caught up with Connolly a couple of blocks away.

The victim agreed to come to 9 Taunton Green, police said, where he positively identified Charles.

The victim gave a slightly different version to police than his friend. Police said he told them they were standing in front of the building when Charles shouted for him to come upstairs.

As soon as he got to the second floor, Charles, who police said is 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, allegedly grabbed him while holding a knife, struck him in the head and leaned into him until the knife punctured his chest.

The victim told cops he pleaded for his life after Charles put the knife to his throat and said he would kill him over the $25 debt.

He also told police that Charles said, "I am Jamaican and do not care, and I will (expletive) kill you." The victim also alleged Charles threatened to kill him as soon as he got out of jail if he called police to have him arrested.

Police said a knife sheath recovered from Charles' pants pocket during the booking process matched up with the weapon.

Charles was arrested in October as the result of an undercover drug operation near his building, resulting in charges of heroin distribution and conspiracy.

He was released on Dec. 6 on $500 bail after Judge Stephen Ostrach reduced bail from $1,000 due to prosecutors not being ready to proceed with the case, according to court records.